Military Pass

"This is a pass permitting Dr. Neil J Blayney (my grandfather and county surgeon for Queen’s County Infirmary and the examining officer for the British Army recruiting office in Portlaoise) and P.J. Meehan M.P. (M.P. for Queen's County and my grandfather's brother-in-law). The pass gave them permission to travel from Portlaoise to Dublin, where they were delivering 800 loaves of bread for the citizens of the city. The bakeries were all closed in the city and there was a shortage of food. The V.D.P. were distributing food in the city. They collected the food in Abbeyleix, Stradbally, and other towns around Laois. It had been Meehan (my granduncle) who had visited Dublin and heard that people were in need of food. The pass is signed by the recruiting officer at Maryborough (Portlaoise). They were shot at on their way back to Portlaoise because they unknowingly drove through a military checkpoint but they were not injured. There are numerous contemporary newspaper reports providing details on the story. "